Gov. Kristi Noem gets banished by four Native American tribes in South Dakota

Last week, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe announced that they had banished South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), marking the fourth Lakota Native American tribe to disown her in recent months.

The banishments began after a joint session of the South Dakota Legislature, where Noem alleged that Mexican drug cartels are using the U.S.-Mexico border to infiltrate Native American reservations in her state. She also claimed that Tribal leaders were personally benefiting from cartels. Since then, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe and now the Rosebud Sioux Tribe have publicly expelled Noem.

“Governor Noem claims she wants to establish meaningful relationships with Tribes to provide solutions for systemic problems. However, her actions as Governor blatantly show otherwise,” the press release said. “Her disingenuous nature towards Native Americans to further her federal political ambitions is an attack on Tribal sovereignty that the Rosebud Sioux Tribe will not tolerate.”

In response, Noem has urged for the Tribes to banish cartels instead, and called for the government to conduct an audit on the tribes’ funding.